'Let's hope Devdas sets the box office on fire'

"Devdas was made for Rs 50 crore, Lagaan for Rs 25 crore and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham for Rs 40 crore. Does a poor country like India need such dear dreams?"

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india today digital

June 3, 2002

ISSUE DATE: June 3, 2002

UPDATED: August 7, 2012 12:07 IST

The Big Picture

"Devdas was made for Rs 50 crore, Lagaan for Rs 25 crore and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham for Rs 40 crore. Does a poor country like India need such dear dreams?"

-SHEILA KUMAR, on e-mail

Old as Gold

Audiences and critics alike are eagerly awaiting the release of Devdas, for its success will mark the arrival of period films and of cinema based on literary works ("Devdas: Bollywood's Biggest Gamble", May 20). Let's hope Devdas sets the box office on fire.

-STUTI SINGH, on e-mail

Indian cinema may be getting international attention at the Oscars and at Cannes but it is undeniable that there is still a lot of room for improvement. Devdas and Lagaan are only occasional releases that make it big on the global scene. Out of around 800 films released every year in India, only a handful are competent in terms of technical expertise, directorial excellence, depth of characterisation and quality of script. However, Lagaan and Devdas prove that Indian cinema is slowly but surely unleashing itself from the drab world of mainstream commercial movies and coming of age on the global arena.

-SAIRAM SANATH KUMAR, on e-mail

It is sad that in a country with a population of more than 100 crore-and where half the people are illiterate and live below the poverty line-a film on an alcoholic megalomaniac has been made for a whopping Rs 50 crore. The media is calling it an artist's pursuit of perfection, a laudable attempt to create a magnum opus. It is hard to believe what message a mothballed, 85-year-old story could pass on to today's highly materialistic generation. And who is going to be the beneficiary even if the gamble pays? The underprivileged and uneducated people of India?

-G. SWAMINATHAN, Chennai

It is surprising that Bollywood can afford to produce a movie on such a vague theme with a budget of Rs 50 crore. With the country passing through a terrible time on each front, the huge amount could surely have been invested in a better cause.

-RAKESH BAHUGUNA, on e-mail

Earlier your magazine used to provide an in-depth study of important issues on subjects of national interest. Now such articles are few, sprinkled between film gossip and the lifestyles of the rich and the privileged. I really wonder who is interested in knowing about the weight of Madhuri Dixit's ghaghra and how much money has been spent on the extravaganza.

-UDAY M. LELE, on e-mail

It is sad to note that Bollywood filmmakers have had to fall back on a story that has been filmed eight times already in an attempt to produce a hit at the box office. They would have done well to have invested Rs 50 crore in a novel plot rather than present old wine in a new bottle-and a very costly bottle at that. I doubt if Devdas will prove to be the "elixir of life" for the sinking Bollywood industry.

-BLESSON GREGORY, on e-mail

Chief Worry

You rightly point out that K.P.S. Gill has a Herculean task ahead of him ("What can Gill Do?", May 20). Will he be able to bring peace to Gujarat as he did in Punjab? My apprehensions are that as security adviser to the Gujarat Government he won't get the wholehearted support of Chief Minister Narendra Modi who has been unable to control the communal violence. As it is, Gill has already got an initial jolt-the denial of the services of Punjab Police personnel.

-ONKAR CHOPRA, Delhi

Cynical Stance

Your editorial was shockingly malicious and unnecessarily biased, targeting K.P.S. Gill instead of focusing on Gujarat ("Gill in Gandhinagar", May 20). This kind of misrepresentation by sections of the media and power-hungry leaders is largely responsible for the continuing carnage in Gujarat. Do you know how much Gill did to maintain order during the worst days of the All Assam Students' Union movement in Assam? You should have at least given him credit for having brought peace in Punjab.

-B.K. BHATTACHARYA, on e-mail

Future Tense

I agree that the pressure on students during board exams is a serious problem ("Board Games", May 20). But then how does a college having 25 seats for a course decide which "25" it should admit when it gets 400 applications, all having the grade "A" ? The solution is to broadbase the examination system by having continuous evaluation so that one exam does not become a matter of life or death. Marks can still be awarded but only in a continuous manner. One should not play with a time-tested system without completely solving some of the problems.

-DR B. PURNIAH, on e-mail

Students study hard for class XII board exams to get good marks which will guarantee them admission into a reputed college. What they don't realise is that most good colleges and universities admit students on the basis of entrance exams. Your survey of the top 10 engineering colleges itself reported that eight of the top 10 institutions conduct entrance exams for selecting students. Similar is the case in the fields of medicine, law, etc. So why this two-pronged approach-boards and entrance exams-making life difficult for the students? The Government must direct all colleges to admit students on the basis of entrance exams. Colleges can group together to form a university that will conduct a single entrance test for all colleges under it and thereafter do away with the boards. The use of schools then? Preparing the students for entrance exams.

-SUDHANSHU MALHOTRA, on e-mail

Has anyone in our revered cbse looked at the course content for the social sciences paper for the Class X? It consists of history, geography, civics and economics, with a weightage of 40 per cent for the first two, 20 per cent for civics and 10 per cent for economics. But the syllabus for each is as vast as for the other. It must rank as the most confusing exam in the world.

-AJAYA CHAND, on e-mail

Throttling Talent

Mohun bagan is indeed in a sorry state of affairs ("Club in Confusion", May 13). Behind all the talent it possesses lies the selfish interests of some administrators and industrialists. This is why sports in India is more about politics than talent. No wonder the Indian football team cannot find a place in the top 100 in the world.

-ARYA C., on e-mail

Facts First

Tavleen singh is spreading canards against the Income-Tax Department just because her accountant asked for certain details for filing her annual returns ("Paying for Honesty", May 20).Let the readers know that there is no expenditure tax in India and her auditor does not need those details for filing her tax return-provided she had maintained the details of her income. She is wrong in writing that every Indian tax payer is being subjected to this inquisition. Only 2 per cent of the tax returns are subjected to scrutiny.Singh has shown her prejudice and ignorance by saying that tax inspectors are the most corrupt officials in India. As an insider who worked for 25 years in a managerial position, let me tell her that the Income-Tax Department contains as many good officials as any other cross-section of Indian society.

S. SENDAMARAI KANNAN, Commissioner of Income Tax, Hyderabad

Singh has the pulse of the honest income-tax-paying middle class fully at heart. The practice and policy with regard to income tax in India lack direction and political will. Instead of finding a better way to ensure efficiency, the authorities want to harass the middle class by limitless forms and formalities.

V.B.N. RAM, on e-mail

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